Caregivers tend to a patient in the improvised COVID-19 unit at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles on July 30, 2021. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials on Monday reported 1,846 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death from the disease.
The latest documented totals are 931,387 infections and 18,252 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.
Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have more than doubled in the last month, with unvaccinated people accounting for almost all of the serious illnesses and deaths.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals increased by 38 overnight to 1,169 on Sunday, the most since March 1 and an increase of 120% since July 1.
The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients went up by two to 298, below last week’s highs but an increase of 119% since July 1.
The percent positivity for diagnostic testing conducted last week was 15% as of Monday’s update, the highest since January.
The dashboard also showed that 3,752,700 people (52.2% of the state’s population, based on 7,189,020 residents) have received at least one dose of vaccine in Arizona and 3,349,165 people are fully vaccinated (46.6% of the population). Arizona trails the nationwide rates of 57.7% with at least one dose and 49.6% fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state health department’s daily updates present case and death data after the state receives statistics and confirms them, which can lag by several days or more. They don’t represent the actual activity over the past 24 hours. The hospitalization numbers posted each morning are reported electronically the previous evening by hospitals across the state.
Free federally authorized vaccines are widely available and highly effective in preventing illness from COVID-19, including the more contagious delta variant that now accounts for most of the new cases in the U.S.
For details about statewide vaccine availability, the ADHS website has a vaccine-finder page with locations and other information.
For information about metro Phoenix vaccine availability, Maricopa County Public Health has a locator page that lists pharmacies, government-run sites, health clinics and pop-up distribution events.
Appointments may be required depending on the provider, but many accept walk-ins.
The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot has been reduced to 12, but it’s still 18 for the other approved versions, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has no impact on some people and is seriously debilitating or fatal for others. Infected people without symptoms — which include but are not limited to cough, fever and difficulty breathing — are capable of spreading the virus.
Information about where to get tested for COVID-19 can be found on the ADHS website.